


The Front Lines: Looking Out For You

by outlawrites



Series: The Lines on the Wall Series [2]
Category: South Park
Genre: (Non-graphic- the disorder is anxiety based abstention), Ableism, Affection, Aged-Up Character(s), Anxiety, Bigotry & Prejudice, Boys In Love, But none of the bad stuff is between Kenny and Butters in case you were wondering. They're good., Eating Disorders, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Genderfluid Character, Height Differences, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Mental Anguish, Mentions of canon typical abuse, Sleepy Cuddles, The Power Of Love, mentions of Wendy/Bebe, problems at home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-06 05:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4210059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outlawrites/pseuds/outlawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Last June someone told Butters' parents that he's been kissing boys- but there was only one. Kenny McCormick was that boy.</p><p>Now Butters is back, taller and more timid, from a summer of work camp hell. Kenny's alright with the taller, but not so much the timid.</p><p>Kenny's sworn to take down whoever did this to his boyfriend, and if there's one thing Kenny is very, very good at, it is swearing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, tumblr user kennymemecormick prompted the first story of this series. (And I guess that means this one too? haha)  
> Their prompt was "four foot Kenny and 5 foot or taller Butters"  
> AND THEN THIS WAS BORN.  
> (What I'm saying is, if you like it, GOOD! If you don't, um, don't blame them this is all my brain taking off with a one sentence prompt.)

Yesssss. Yes yes helll yes. Someday soon, _that_ was happening.

Kenny was currently sitting in homeroom and ignoring morning announcements to stare at Butters’ ass while he sharpened his pencil in the corner. _Ohhh man_.

Okay, so YES, _objectively_ he knew that at 15 he and Butters were technically kind of young to be getting sexual. But honestly? He also knew that _subjectively_ they were both the healthiest thing in each others’ lives and, _God_ , sometimes it felt like they had been nine year olds FOREVER, and frankly, they’d had worse done to them by worse people. It was _nice_ to be in a mutually happy relationship where both people wanted the best for each other.

So, mostly these days he just felt like if he and his hot, hot boyfriend didn’t at least exchange a handy soon, he might die of it. (If anyone _else_ said they might die from lack of sex, Kenny would roll his eyes at their stupidity so hard he nearly broke something. But with Kenny’s track record for death? Yeah, the universe could probably make it happen. He died of _laughing_ once.)

So instead of pretending he gave a shit about the droning voice over the school intercom, he’d mostly been thinking about how nicely Butters’ tidy new pants fit his taller frame, and how much Kenny wanted to climb that like a tree.

Yeah, a week after being reunited, and the novelty of Butters’ new height still hadn’t worn off. Not all their classmates had gotten back from vacation in time for the first week of school, but everyone who had clearly noticed the changes to Butters, too. Some of them noticed it very favorably- much to Kenny’s mingled pleasure and smug satisfaction.

He was pleased that Butters’ new height meant that fewer people were trying to pick on him, but Kenny couldn’t help smirking whenever someone who had ignored Butters before tried to flirt with him now. Like, _hahaha,_ no _. You wish. MY Butters_.

Kenny’s eyes glazed over a little at that thought and he shifted in his seat. _MY Butters. Whenever I want. He was willing to_ skip _for me._ Butters was not usually the “skipping class” type, so it spoke volumes to Kenny that Butters was willing to go that far to get them alone. But even if that wouldn’t attract unwanted attention from teachers and school officials, there was also this other _someone_ who had it out for them.

 _Someone_ , Kenny thought with his eyebrows drawn tight and angry, _who thought it was a great idea to get Butters sent to hell for the summer_. Kenny had refused to make out with Butters on school grounds since that first day back in case the same asshole was still watching them. But Butters also had to go home straight after classes- so that had meant no kissing at all. No _touching_ , even though they both badly needed it.

So, to date, whoever had informed on them to the Stotches had three strikes against them: they’d gotten Butters hurt, they’d separated Butters and Kenny all summer- and they’d indirectly forced Kenny to be complicit in hurting Butters too.

Even though he knew he HAD to avoid public affection with Butters to protect him, Kenny felt like it was the only part of this mess even slightly in his control, and was therefore his “fault”. Butters was just so relieved and happy to be back near Kenny again that he wanted to enjoy their new closeness and forget about what he suffered through all summer.

Butters had explained that that was his usual way of coping- trying to forget upsetting things so they couldn’t weigh him down, and moving on. So, sometimes he would forget their predicament for a moment and try to cuddle close in an empty classroom, or subtly suggest they go somewhere during study hall.

Then Kenny had to be the one to remind him that they were in danger, and watch the memories flood back on his boyfriend’s face. The poor guy was clearly traumatized by the past summer, and who could blame him? But not letting him cope in his usual way was making it worse- his sunshiny boyfriend had become more jittery and withdrawn. Butters wasn’t bouncing back.

Kenny felt like a tool being used to harm someone he loved, and it was fucking twisting him up inside. He could barely sneak in a hug to make it better, and it just... it wasn’t fucking cutting it. Affection was important to both of them, really, and physical intimacy was one ways they best liked to share that. It wasn’t the only way they showed they cared, but a lot of their other options weren’t really viable, especially now.

Butters’ groundings also meant a freeze on his allowance, so Kenny wasn’t the only one who lacked the money to go out a lot or buy meaningful little gifts. Neither of them was really great at articulating how they felt with words yet. Kenny liked drawing things for Butters, and Butters liked sneaking an extra lunch out of his house for Kenny. But with how strict Butters’ parents were, even some of those gestures weren’t feasible anymore- they were naturally suspicious of everything Butters brought into or out of their house.

They liked to do nice little things for each other, like holding doors and all that, but also things that eased the other person’s emotional welfare. Butters tried to steer group activities (as much as anyone listened to him) towards things Kenny might enjoy and be able to afford. Kenny tried to make sure that when the boys ignored Butters in a conversation that he drew attention to him again, or at least kept listening himself so Butters didn’t feel neglected.

It made for a good relationship, but they were both really physically oriented, and they needed that too. Plus, now that Butters’ parents were looking extra-close at his relationships with people, the two of them were wary of treating each other in any special, different way in public. At least they’d been best friends before they dated, so spending time together wasn’t too suspicious, but this _pretending_ was killing them.

So that was the crux of matter. Touching and kissing were important to Butters and Kenny because it made them both feel taken care of, wanted, _loved_. But it was also one of the only things they could do to show each other they cared that didn’t leave any _evidence_.

Butters could kiss Kenny senseless and Kenny would feel the ghost of his touch even hours later in his ratty bedroom with the soundtrack of his parents screaming at each other downstairs. And over in Butters’ house after a painfully silent dinner, as night fell in his lonely bedroom, he could still feel Kenny’s steady hands on his shoulders, consoling him. They would have wanted to be close and physical anyway, but given their current restrictions, secret make-outs had been their best chance to give each other comfort.

And this shadowy figure watching their lives had taken that option away from them, and left it up to Kenny to enforce it. The sad eyes and brave smile Butters was wearing around these days was partially because of Kenny and that made Kenny _furious_.

 _Three strikes, jerkoff_. He’d made himself a promise that there was going to be no mercy no matter who was behind this; no taking into account whatever “good intentions” their tormentor _thought_ they had for _outing_ Butters. This was the modern fucking age, and that shit didn’t fly on his watch.

He glanced to the front, where Butters was fretfully making his way back to his seat- being unused to his new size meant he kept nearly knocking into people’s desks. Butters finally reached his seat and sat very still for a moment before a shudder rolled through his shoulders and he slumped down in his chair.

 _Plus,_ Kenny thought darkly as he watched Butters trying to control his nervous trembles _, you made my baby_ cry _, asshole_. He cracked his neck and glanced around the room with narrowed eyes. _No. When I find you this is OVER. There’s just no saving grace for you_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just still a week into the new school year. Butters is suffering new complications from his summer in hell, Kenny is trying to help however he can, and both of them are trying to work around the new, dangerous restrictions placed on their relationship. When affection is a forbidden danger, sometimes it helps to have a sneaky boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that I have updated the tags to include new warnings.

Butters wasn’t at lunch.

Kenny waited til about ten minutes had passed, then sighed and levered himself wearily off the bench. He knew precisely what this meant, and he was already so tired today- but he would never, ever leave Butters to face this alone. So, it was time to hit up the bathrooms.

Kenny trudged out the cafeteria set off through the nearly silent halls, his progress set to a soundtrack of random chatter from the classrooms still in use, the lunchroom behind him, and the windy rain spattering the roof and windows.

He was heartened to discover Butters in the restroom closest to the cafeteria. “Hey, good job Butters, you almost made it in there!”

Butters, leaning against the wall by the sinks and breathing heavily, jerked his head around to give Kenny a quick, trembly smile.

“Th-thanks, Ken” he said quickly, then rested the back of his head against the wall again. He stared at the ceiling, and Kenny could see him resisting the urge to rub his fists together- but he was also resisting the urge to count. _Not good_.

Butters’ anxiety had been a problem on and off through the years, and as his friend, Kenny had helped him develop some coping strategies to begin easing him back from his nerves. One of those methods was for Butters to use all his focus to carefully count up and down from hundred, and he usually silently mouthed along with the numbers in his head.

But since he’d come back from “camp”, Butters’ anxiety had increased off the charts, and he wasn’t using the old strategies that worked for him before. It was getting to be an issue in and of itself.

* * *

  
Kenny had discovered this problem a week ago, on their first day back. After their reunion on the steps (and in the closet) that morning, Butters hadn’t shown up for lunch and Kenny went looking for him.

He’d found him standing in the center of the empty bathroom, in much the same state as this, and breathing hard. From what Kenny could tell, he was not using his counting strategy, or any other coping mechanism for that matter.

“Butters?”

Butters’ head whipped around at Kenny’s voice, and Kenny’s stomach had dropped into freefall at his desperate expression. Jesus. It was like he didn’t even recognize Kenny at first.

“K-Ken?”

Holy shit his _voice_ ; it was so _ragged_. Kenny approached very slowly, coming to a halt a few feet away “Have you been crying?” he asked, careful and quiet.

“NO! I-I _m-mean_ , n-no _sir_! I- I-I-” Butters’ face and posture had gone stiff and blank- but his eyes were screaming volumes in terror.

Kenny felt himself freeze up. _What the fuck what the fuck fuck fuck-_

Butters wasn’t here. Wherever he was, it was NOT HERE and whoever he was talking to in his head right now, it was very emphatically  _NOT KENNY_.

Kenny wanted to help him snap out of it, but he no fucking clue how to do it without making things worse. He cast a fast glance behind them at the door- it’s not like they had all the time in the world for him to help before someone caught them, either. “Butters? Babe? _BUTTERCUP_.”

A shudder rolled through Butters’ shoulders but he didn’t otherwise move- his wide eyes were fixed on a point over Kenny’s head, his arms stiff at his sides.

 _Oh shit._ Kenny tried to think fast. How could he bring Butters back? What could he possibly do to ease him into understanding that he was in town now, not that hellhole in the desert? Kenny wanted to cry from frustration. He was too afraid to try touching him in case that made things worse. _Because who knows? Who knows what they-?_

As he cast his eyes around desperately, his glance fell on the windows at the side of the room and his heartbeat sped up. He slipped around Butters, noting with a pang of heartache that the taller boy’s breath had a slight hitch in it as Kenny brushed by him. _Jesus, those bastards better be praying to you that I never find them. Up to you if you want to save their worthless hides, but I promise you they won’t find any mercy with me._

He pushed himself up on the sinks in a well-practiced move and started his attempts to get at the windows. Short or not, a McCormick always had an exit strategy, and Kenny had never let his height interfere when it came to the important things- like having an all-access way in and out of school. If anything his lack of height and growth had been an advantage to him with these tight little windows; they were high up and only opened at a slant.

He figured if he could just get them open then the cold air blowing in and the sound of the rain pounding outside might help bring Butters back to him. Now he just had to execute the maneuver without knocking his head on the frame or falling and cutting himself up on the radiator or some other bad luck bullshit. _Here goes nothing_.

Kenny would like to say that he landed on the windowsill catlike, graceful, and mysterious- but frankly he didn’t have time for that crap.

He banged up his shins on the corner of the ceramic tile sill and nearly bent his short fingernails backward trying to get a quick grip on the window-opening hardware so that he didn’t fall. He took a half second to regain his breath- more of his deaths had been caused by _hastiness_ or a feeling of being rushed than he cared to remember- and steadied himself into a position where he had decent leverage to work.

Once he’d pried at the handles and popped the windows open, he settled back on the sill, catching his breath and watching Butters. His boyfriend was still standing stock-still in the center of the bathroom- a statue of a boy, his spine steely-straight. But as Kenny watched, the wet, chilly air began to ruffle through Butters’ hair on top, and a shudder rolled through them both.

After a moment or two, Butters slowly, hesitantly, lifted his arm and looked at it. He ran a hand over the hair standing up on his arms, and his posture was hesitant, seemingly confused. Finally, he turned slowly and looked up at the open window where Kenny was seated.

Kenny grinned shakily and waved. “Hi.”

“KENNY.” Butters’ face was transformed from the cold blankness of a moment before- now there was ecstasy, fear, joy, confusion. He moved closer, timidly. “A-Are you-”

“A little cold? Yeah, but I’ll live.” _Probably,_ he amended, mentally knocking on wood.

“N-n- _NO;_ are you r-really h- _here_?”

Kenny could feel his jaw trembling and didn’t even think twice or give any warning before he launched himself off the windowsill toward Butters. He barely heard Butters’ gasp before the taller boy had his arms full with four feet of kissy-faced McCormick.

Butters fumbled with the added weight for a few seconds, still trying to coordinate his newly lengthened limbs, but finally managed to steady them both. Then Butters continued to gasp- but only cause Kenny was kissing him breathless.

“Feel real, babe?” Kenny panted against Butters’ ear, licking his way along the shell and nipping lightly when he got to the top. Kenny knew this was dangerous. He sure as shit hadn’t forgotten. But damn it all to hell- if he couldn’t help Butters when he got scared like this, what the hell was the point of being careful the rest of the time anyway?

So, alright, he couldn’t hold Butters' hands in the hallway, couldn’t show his affection or bring him on a real date yet. It was horrible, but they would ride that out. But he couldn’t deny him this. He _wouldn’t_.

Butters whimpered and sank to a seat on the floor, his arms keeping Kenny pressed firmly to his chest. He let Kenny smother his neck and ear with attention a little longer, then moaned and pulled back a little to capture Kenny’s bottom lip between his.

Kenny cooed to him happily, feeling pleased and encouraged by this active participation, and leaned into the kiss. Butters was sighing and licking his way into Kenny’s mouth and seemed just about to sneak a hand up his shirt- when their careful ears heard a sneaker squeak in the hallway outside the bathroom.

They sprang apart and slipped into separate stalls as someone (Kenny was pretty sure it was Stoley) came in to use the urinal. Whoever it was washed their hands a moment later and left the restroom in complete silence. Kenny heard Butters let out a relieved huff- he’d probably been holding it the entire time to avoid anyone hearing how heavy he was breathing.

This was just day one since they’d got back together, and the hiding bullshit was already getting fuckin’ old.

“Hey.” Kenny said softly into the silence.

Butters slipped out of the other stall and wandered over the sinks, apparently washing his hands out of pure habit. He turned to face Kenny. “H-Heey there.” He was blushing and his gaze fell to his shoes.

Kenny slipped up to him and leaned down into his field of vision. “If you’re trying to avoid my face while we talk about this you’re looking in the wrong direction,” he joked weakly.

Butters’ blush intensified, but he took Kenny’s hand and led them both near the window. It was silent for another moment or two. Kenny almost thought they weren’t going to discuss this after all, but then-

“They were _always_ asking if I’d been cryin’” said Butters softly. “And I usually _had_ been.” His eyes met Kenny’s, “But they didn’t like that.”

Kenny felt sick and shaky. He opened his arms invitingly, but Butters surprised him by dropping to his knees and hugging Kenny around the middle. Kenny wrapped his arms around him and brought one hand up to stroke through his hair, paying special attention to the temples since they ached when Butters got tense. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Butters sniffed. “I’m _here_ now. I-I’m-”

Kenny dropped a few reassuring kisses into the blond fluff on Butters’ head. “Yes,” he said firmly.

Things were silent for a few minutes more, but then Kenny thought that while they were already on the subject, he’d better clarify a few things.

“Is there anything else they said a lot? Or-” and he was _glad_ Butters couldn’t see his grieving, furious face as he went on “-did? I just. I don’t want to be the reason you get all set off again, ok, beautiful?”

Butters frowned, nuzzling against Kenny’s chest a little. “I-I wish I could tell ya, Ken.” He looked up to Kenny, puzzled and sad.

“I was an even bigger mess when I first got back. M-My parents got kinda frightened. I’m not even real certain if they thought I was gonna hurt myself- or them. The truth is, buddy, most of the time I don’t remember that much until something like this happens.” He shivered and his gaze turned inward. “I think it’s cause I want so bad to forget…”

Kenny hugged him tighter, pressing his lips firmly to Butters’ forehead. “And I’ll do everything I can to make sure you can start forgetting soon.” He quietly resigned himself to the idea that they were both missing lunch today, and that anybody _questioning_ him about it was going to hear a long tale of woe about how he’d been violently shitting himself and Butters had stuck around to make sure he didn’t pass out.

That kind of story tended to discourage further questions.

After a moment or two Butters stirred from his spot on the floor and stood, rubbing the feeling back into his knees. He leaned down and kissed Kenny’s cheeks and forehead and probably would have continued but they heard sneakers approaching again and slipped back into the stalls. No one came in after a minute, and Kenny sighed, stepping back out and rapping lightly on Butters’ door. “Game on,” he intoned wryly.

Butters let out a weak giggle and put a hand out for Kenny again.

Kenny took it and kissed both the backs of Butters’ hands, looking him in the eye. Butters blushed.

“Babe, can you answer a question for me?”

Butters bit his bottom lip. “Mm- I c-can try I guess.”

Kenny nodded. “That’s all I could ask.” He kissed Butters’ hands again. “When you get all riled and nervous- is there a reason you’re not counting anymore? I thought that was helping.”

Butters' face flashed through a series of emotions swiftly, and he bent a little to let his head fall all the way down onto Kenny’s shoulder. When he spoke, his answer was muffled against Kenny’s jacket. “They didn’t like it,” he whispered.

* * *

That whole encounter had been last week, and every day since Butters had ended up in the bathrooms at lunch. He was trying to use his old methods of coping with anxiety, but some of them seemed to be ineffective now that they reminded him of a new source of stress.

Kenny was frustrated nearly to tears by that- what kind of fucking bastards would twist a coping mechanism into a whole new anxiety?

* * *

Butters was trying out new things to calm himself when he started getting upset, but he’d still been spending a significant amount of time in self-reflection instead of the cafeteria. He’d told Kenny yesterday that he was finally beginning to understand why the lunchroom got to him; after the silence and isolation in the desert, he “wasn’t too comfortable” around big groups.

* * *

“The thing is Ken, I-I’m not u- _used_ to this many people anymore. This much noise! It was s-so _silent_ and unfriendly there. And w-well,” he looked down, and Kenny’s chest hurt to see the shame there.

“I’m also used to someone telling me w-what to do all the time. And all the people around me too! S-so” he brought teary eyes up to meet Kenny’s “it’s just so shockin’ to get close to lunch and hear all that noise, and s-see everybody doin’ and sayin’ whatever they want. I k-know that’s how it’s _supposed_ to be, but it just feels so _strange_ after…”

“After what they forced you to get used to,” murmured Kenny through grit teeth, trying vainly to hold in his temper. “After you had to accept someone else dictating everything you-” he broke off breathing hard, and looked at the ceiling.

He needed to calm his righteous fury- it wouldn’t help anything right now. The people that did this weren’t here, and Butters didn’t need an angry boyfriend flying off the handle like an idiot, even if it was on his behalf. The poor kid just needed some support and understanding.

After a few seconds, Kenny managed to stop focusing on those bastards, and back on finding solutions for his boy. “Right, okay. Well?” He studied Butters’ eyes to try and see how he was feeling, and reached a hand up to stroke his cheek gently. “We can eat somewhere else for now if you want, ok?”

Butters leaned into the touch gratefully for a moment, then kissed Kenny’s palm and moved back. “T-thanks Ken. B-but I don’t want to run away from this. I’ll work my way back in there eventually, a-alright?”

Kenny stared at him, a little awed- not for the first nor, he was positive, the last time- by Butters’ resilience. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Ken,” Butters said firmly.

* * *

Since then, Butters had been working toward getting a little closer to the cafeteria every day. But Kenny always knew that when Butters wasn’t at lunch, he was probably in the bathrooms. Sometimes, on bad days, he was in the ones that were farthest away from the caf.

So, the fact that he’d gotten to the closest boys’ room today was worth a little celebration.

Kenny said fuck you to the social niceties and straight up kicked every stall door open to make sure they were alone. When he saw the coast was clear, he sidled up to Butters and leaned up to press a few kisses on his neck and cheek.

Butters grinned, reveling in the attention. After a moment, and with Kenny’s nod of agreement, Butters picked him up to cuddle him close, dropping a few kisses across the bridge of Kenny’s nose. He kissed at Kenny’s mouth a little but (as per usual when he was anxious) he seemed to be far more preoccupied with breathing deep and nuzzling into his hair.

The smell of Kenny seemed to ground him a lot, so Kenny usually just let him get on with it and occupied himself with trying to kiss Butters’ shoulders without leaving marks. A few moments later, he finally, reluctantly put Kenny down- they kept ahold of each other’s hands, though.

Butters toyed with Kenny’s hand, fidgeting but seemingly content. “Maybe tomorrow, Ken!” Butters said hopefully.

Kenny smiled softly and squeezed Butters’ hand in return. “Yeah, babe, tomorrow sounds like a good day.” He sighed, rubbing his other hand over his face, and feeling about a million years old. “Did you eat yet, beautiful?”

Butters gaze skittered away uncomfortably. “N-nah. I’m not real hungry, ya know?”

Kenny leaned in weary, _exhausted,_ to rest his forehead on Butters’ shoulder. “I know.” He cracked an eye open to gauge Butters’ expression. “Did you at least eat breakfast?”

Butters expression fell further. “Aw-I... no.” He looked at Kenny pleadingly. “Ya gotta understand, Ken, it’s just so w- _weird,_ just s-s- _sittin’_ there with them. It’s so hard to make my tummy c-cooperate and agree to be hungry when I think about what they _did_.” He squeezed Kenny’s hand tightly, a wretched look on his face.

Kenny brought their hands up to kiss Butters’ knuckles, keeping careful eye contact. “I understand,” he said quietly. He tugged Butters’ hand to his chest and used the hand that wasn’t clasped with Butters’ to stroke at his boyfriend’s gently.

“Can you do me a favor, though? Can you try to make sure you eat at least one good thing a day? It doesn’t have to be while you’re at home, or even a whole big meal, but I need you to make sure you’re getting some food, ok?”

He glanced all the way up and down Butters’ new physique, feeling a vague sense of dismay. “There’s more of you now, baby, and that means you need MORE calories, not less.”

Butters sighed and leaned far enough down to rest his forehead on Kenny’s shoulder. “I DO get real hungry,” he admitted quietly. “I-I just have trouble eating around p-people, e-especially _them_.”

Kenny murmured sympathetically, petting Butters’ hair and trying to keep an ear out for anyone approaching from the hallway. “I could certainly see why, Buttercup.” He kissed Butters’ ear and sighed softly. Butters nosed at Kenny’s shoulder a little more.

“I-it might not be so bad, but I just feel so darn _unsafe_ in that whole house. Did I tell ya that when I came back, all exhausted and confused, I overheard them talking about locking me in the basement again?”

Kenny stepped back from Butters, staring. “ _What_.”

Butters let out a long, tired breath, rubbing his hands over his eyes. “Yeah. I m-mighta thought I was making it all up, except when they w-weren’t home yesterday I snuck down there and they hadn’t bothered putting the chains away. I guess at first they were a-afraid I might lose it and burn the house down or somethin’.”

Kenny chewed the inside of his lip, attempting to pull air into his lungs past the sudden rush of hatred, and his voice sunk past Mysterion levels to an octave as dark and deep as a chasm in the ocean floor. “I can’t say, precisely, that I would _blame_ you.”

Butters eyes widened, and Kenny felt an instant regret for causing him more worry. “N-now, Ken, don’t you go rackin’ up juvie charges over _them_ ; I need you out here with me, Mister.” He hesitated, trying a brave smile. “P-Plus all my stuff’s in that house!”

Kenny laughed, a note of desperation creeping into it, but he put his face in his hands and gathered himself up. _Later,_ Kenny thought. _Later when Butters is safe and away from them. And maybe it won't come from me, but SOMEHOW there will be a reckoning for those people._

To Butters he just said, “Okay, okay babe.” He looked up at Butters’ trembling little grin and leaned in for one last good kiss; the lunch bell was sure to go off any minute now. He shifted back and took up Butters’ hands again.

“Listen, beautiful- I’ve been thinkin’- maybe it would help if I were around more. Do you think I can start trying to visit your house again soon? I mean, your parents already know we’ve been friends for years, and you’re not officially grounded right now right?”

“Maybe I’m not grounded, but they’re still acting like they saw me cannibalize a member of the family” muttered Butters irritably.

Kenny’s laugh cracked the air, sudden and harsh. “Well, they better just be grateful that neither of us is the people-eating type,” he said, leaning up to kiss Butters’ cheek. “I don’t know man. We’ve been hanging around for so long, and they may not like me, but they’re used to seeing my hood come up the drive.” He sighed. “You ultimately know them best, though, babe. You don’t think that they’ll let me in the house?”

Butters’ lower lip trembled before he bit it. “N-no, Ken. I don’t think they will. They’re acting like I don’t deserve to s-see _anybody_.”

Kenny stroked a hand down Butters’ arm gently. “What if you said you were doing something that looks really good on your college apps, so it’s not a ‘fun’ thing, just another duty? Like what if you were tutoring me for one of our classes again? That’s gotta look good, right?”

Butters looked hopeful for a moment but then his expression crumpled and he shook his head adamantly. “ _No_ , Ken. I can’t risk it! Maybe I w-woulda tried it before this summer happened, b-but now they’re looking _so close_ all the time. I’m frightened they’d call up the school and ask about your class-work.”

Kenny never thought he’d have a reason to be pissed he was doing well in class. When Butters had helped him bring his grades up back in elementary, Kenny’d decided he actually liked being in the same classes together. So, since then he’d had to maintain at least decent grades or he’d get dropped from the Honors courses. Before he had time to consider a plan for circumventing the Stotches’ attention from his grades, Butters had gone on.

“A-and a-a-anyway,” he whispered, horrible shudders wracking his frame, “they’re _especially_ payin’ _real_ close attention to all my guy friends now,” said Butters, his eyes squeezed miserably shut.

“Oh, _Buttercup_.” Kenny pressed in close and hugged Butters tight. All the while, though, the gears whirred in Kenny’s head, and a glimmer of an idea started to crackle and play like an old reel-style movie.

“Well- hold on tight, babe. It’s too soon to tell cause I have some details to work out, but I might have a way to slide past _that_ problem too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience! I hope you enjoy the new chapter with our guys. :)  
> The next one I put out should start including some of Kenny and Butters' friends and classmates.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the vise on Butters' life has been tightening, Kenny enlists a few extra hands to pry it back open.

Kenny’s quicksilver mind had realized pretty much immediately that for any plan to sneak past Butters’ parents, he was going to have to enlist some help. Thankfully for Kenny (and Butters) Kenny was friends with the two of the most respected and powerful members of a certain _group_ , and they owed him one.

Well. Actually, it had _less_ to do with owing him one and _more_ that they had a good working relationship with Mysterion, but close enough.

Kenny stopped in and had a word with them before leaving school for the day. Some of them _in particular_ would be helpful for the plan he had to sneak around and see Butters, but it would only work if he had their _complete_ cooperation.

Luck was on Kenny’s side- when they heard why Butters was behaving so differently, they were only too willing to lend a hand.

“-and that’s why Butters and I have been avoiding each other at school.”

“Kenny! That’s-”

“FUCKED UP.”

“Yes, thank you, well put.”

“You’re welcome, hon.”

Kenny sat back and watched the couple deliberating over Butters’ problem and Kenny’s proposed solution. He sighed, feeling relieved at how seriously they were taking this- it was nice knowing that two of the best practical, analytical minds in school were on his side. They promised to discuss Kenny’s plan with their larger group and add any details they thought would be helpful.

As he was walking out, that same group leader drew him aside with a meaningful look, and Kenny left for the day with a new evidence-gathering request for their ongoing investigation of a school official. _Mysterion_ could look that assignment over tonight.

Kenny felt much more hopeful about Butters’ situation thanks to the new help, and added basically that whole group to the mental list of people he could count on in this mess. Of course that pretty much tripled the amount of people in size; _before_ just now that very short list had only included himself, Butters, and Stan and Kyle.

* * *

 

Kenny had gained Kyle and Stan’s assistance in his investigation to discover who was behind Butters’ summer break nightmare, a few days after school had started. When he’d confided in them why he and Butters were being so publicly distant at school, they’d _also_ been outraged to hear what Butters had been through.

Kyle kept insisting that they should contact all these organizations like the ACLU, because what Butters had been subjected to was “textbook abusive and probably illegal, dude!” He also kept giving Kenny research on different LGBT groups that specialized in youth outreach, saying that maybe they could assist Butters in getting away from his parents and finding alternate housing.

Kenny had taken to studying the websites and literature in his room at night or during study periods at school. He had a strong urge to just call up one of these places and be done with it, but he was also a McCormick- and you don’t grow up a McCormick without a natural wariness of getting authority figures involved in something. ESPECIALLY in South Park, where that seemed to explode out of control.

So he was reading up first, hoping one of these organizations made sense, so he could present the idea to Butters without spooking him.

Stan, meanwhile, seemed to be making more of a concentrated effort to be kind to Butters at school, and it made Kenny’s heart ache a little to see how well Butters responded to it. The kid didn’t ask for much, really. Stan seemed to realize the same thing, because sometimes after he talked to Butters and the guy seemed happier, Kenny caught this weird look on Stan’s face.

Kenny thought it looked a little like shame.

Honestly? Even though he really loved Kyle and Stan, Kenny had been a little surprised by the intensity of their reaction to this shit- he never really thought of them as liking Butters that much. It made him kind of curious.

Then, last night when they were hanging out in Kenny’s room, he began to get borderline suspicious. They’d chosen his house since the McCormicks were probably the parents _least_ likely to eavesdrop. (Well, besides Liane Cartman, but, a.) the Cartman family still seemed to be on vacation, and b.) haha, like _hell_ was Kenny involving Cartman in this.)

Kenny had just told the wonder twins (super best friends, _whatever_ ) that it really meant a lot to him that they were with him on this (because it _did_ ) and their reactions to being thanked were weird, almost _tense_. Kyle had loudly insisted that helping Butters was “only the right thing to do”, but Stan had turned bright red and looked away.

 _Okay, what the shit?_ Clearly there was something worth looking into here. So, when Kyle was in the bathroom, Kenny expressed his surprise over their help to Stan. Stan looked sheepish.

“Actually dude, we feel kind of bad. I mean, we’ve always sort of treated Butters like shit. Kyle won’t admit that’s why we’re helping, because I think he doesn’t want to remember how bad we all used to be but, I mean, _seriously._ Do you remember the incident with the ninja star?”

Kenny’s face scrunched up uncomfortably. “Yeaaah. That was…fucked up.” He’d already stutteringly apologized to Butters for that in fifth grade.

They’d been having a sleepover and he saw Butters using drops and putting some kind of ointment on the scar over his eye before bed. When Kenny asked, Butters explained the ointment was a precaution to prevent the scar tissue from getting too stiff and interfering with the function in his eye, and the drops were medicine to prevent infections while the insides were healing so his vision wouldn’t deteriorate.

Kenny felt so sick he actually had to puke in Butters’ trashcan. Butters had forgiven him for the injury (as Butters did for most things) but it had taken Kenny a few more years to forgive his younger self. Especially for the stuff AFTER Butters got hurt. They’d all been young and stupid, but what he and the guys had done was still fucking horrible.

Stan seemed to know where Kenny’s mind had gone, and he shook his head. “And _that_ , at least, was mostly an accident, man. We did crazier shit than that to him _on purpose_. You weren’t even there for some of it, dude,” Stan frowned in confusion “I’m not sure why you weren’t there, actually.” (Kenny resisted the powerful urge to yell about having been dead at the time.)

“But trust me, dude, that shit we did? It was _bad_. How do you even-” Stan’s voice cracked a little “how do you _apologize_ for that kind of thing?” He shook his head again, and his face was tight, pointed floor-ward. “I don’t think it’s even possible. So, I think Kyle just blocks it out. I-” and his mouth twisted up tight with apparent self-loathing.

“I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s because of my depression stuff, but I kind of hold onto the worst details of all the shit we did as kids. Sometimes I think I remember enough for both of us. Sometimes I even think, ‘maybe it’s better this way’, because if only one of us is weighed down then at least one of us is _functioning_ and able to drag the other one along.”

Kenny stared at Stan for a moment. There was a lot to parse there, and probably not much time till Kyle got back from the toilet. (The McCormicks’ bathroom was not precisely a place sensible people wanted to _linger_.) He sucked his teeth, trying to decide which the most important parts to address were.

“Well, I kinda get what you’re saying dude, and I definitely get why there might be a ton of stuff Kyle doesn’t want to remember. I think we’ve all got stuff to forget, really. And I mean, hell, Kyle had more than his share of horrible things _done_ to him, too.” He paused, trying to carefully think through his wording.

“ So, I mean, if you really think it’s going to like, _break him_ or some shit, then don’t dredge it up, but-” He leaned in and bumped shoulders with Stan gently “he’ll probably have to deal with it all someday, anyway. And who better to help him deal than his super best friend?”

Stan’s smile, when it came, was shaky, but the look of gratefulness in his eyes was nearly enough to make Kenny cry himself. He got the impression that Stan had been dying to unburden himself of this huge guilt for a long time, but been unable to work up the nerve.

“Thanks, Kenny. I…I kind of expected you to yell at me for not trying to be better about all this stuff sooner, especially since you care about Butters so much.” He bit his lip, looking off to the side. “I honestly wouldn’t blame you if you did. Yell at me, I mean. I almost, uh. I almost kind of _want_ you to- I feel like we deserve to catch some hell for… everything.”

Kenny sighed. He slung an arm around Stan’s shoulders. “Well, you’re gonna have to just deal with NOT getting yelled at, Stan. Butters _probably_ wouldn’t like it if he knew, and my philosophy in life these days is pretty much ‘If Butters wouldn’t like it, it’s probably the wrong thing to do’ so, you know.” He shrugged a little.

“That being said, even if you can’t help how you were in the past, every day is new, right? You can’t change what you did. None of us can.” He squeezed the arm around Stan’s shoulders tight for a second, scooching his hip closer to give Stan a little comfort.

“But you _know_ you did something wrong, and you _admit_ it was wrong, and that’s further than a lot of people seem to get, man.” Stan huffed unhappily, squirming against Kenny’s side; unwilling to accept anything that sounded like praise.

Kenny had noticed Stan get like that before, when he was feeling low about himself. He thumped the side of his head lightly against Stan’s. “Hey. Knock that off.”

Stan sighed. Kenny decided to let his head rest where it was against Stan’s for a minute.

“I’m not in the business of bullshit, Stan. You know that. You figured out that you did some fucked up shit, and you’re owning up to it. _Now_ what’s important is that you only keep the past in mind just enough to not _repeat_ it. No point in reliving it till you’re sick, dude.” At that, Stan made a squashed little noise in his throat, which Kenny chose to diplomatically ignore. He pressed on, gesticulating with his hands.

“And ok, apologizing is scary, yeah; but it can also be really good. It’s not saying, ‘I’m sorry, so now all that stuff I did doesn’t matter’- it’s about acknowledging to the other person that they didn’t deserve to get hurt like that. Plus,” he said, making a point in the air with his finger , “it will make stuff more open.”

Stan had been silently nodding along, but at this he made a questioning noise. “Think of it like this, dude,” Kenny said.

“Apologizing means you have to talk about what happened, but if _you’re_ the one bringing it up, it can take the stress off the other person about having to be the one who starts talking about it. It kind of opens the door, so if the other person chooses to, they can tell you how they feel about stuff, and you can avoid misunderstanding each other and causing more hurt.”

Kenny shrugged. “And I figure if you can admit you fucked up, and then avoid doing the same stuff, you can at least feel good that you’re trying to do better, right?”

He slipped his arm off Stan to stretch a little, and lay back on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head.

“I figure that’s just about all any of us can hope for, really. Can’t change that you did wrong, but you can try to admit it and handle it right. It sounds cliché as fuck, but it’s true, dude- every day is literally a chance to change how you interact with your specific world. Can’t change the whole thing, but some stuff, justwhat _you do_ , is in your control.”

Kenny glanced back over at Stan, who was staring down at him with his mouth open a little. Stan looked at his sneakers with a thoughtful expression; his mouth opened like he was about to speak again, but then Kyle swept back in from the bathroom.

“UGH _sorry_ guys, but I had to practically clean the toilet before I could even use it, sorry Kenny, no offense-”

“None taken.”

“-and you were also out of toilet paper. And tissues. Where do you guys _keep_ the toilet paper???”

Kenny couldn’t help muffling his laughter behind his hand. Oh, God, he’d forgotten how priceless it was to see Kyle flustered over the state of the McCormicks’ house. Honestly, Kyle’s startled horror when faced with the normal disorder of Kenny’s life _used_ to mostly make Kenny feel like shit.

These days though, after examining it objectively, Kenny tried to move past the offense and keep in mind that Kyle was genuinely concerned and not being intentionally condescending.

Growing up in a house that always had enough (and an obsessive matriarch who had a place for it all) Kyle couldn’t help being conditioned to a certain mode of living. He didn’t really know any way but what he was used to from home, and essentially, the poverty-stricken chaos of Kenny’s house made him _anxious_. Mostly Kenny tried to appreciate that Kyle cared about him enough to be worried.

There was a small part of Kenny, though, that still got annoyed with Kyle’s tactlessness, and that truthfully _was_ a little envious of Kyle’s house. _That_ part of Kenny always got an amused sense of satisfaction at watching Kyle flounder when pitted against Kenny’s everyday life. _Not a day. You wouldn’t make it a DAY as me, dude._

That whole complicated knot of feelings wasn’t his or Kyle’s fault, though.

It also wasn’t going to be solved anytime soon, maybe never, so Kenny mostly tried to keep those shitty thoughts to himself. If he believed he could fix some of it by talking to Kyle, he might, but that day was _not_ today. They both had more growing up to do first.

That day, all he said to Kyle was, “Ooh, sorry about that dude.” He took a mental inventory. “I think we ran out of money till next week so everyone’s been responsible for their own paper.”

Kyle stared at him blankly, head tilted sideways. “What.”

Kenny bit the inside of his cheek, trying desperately not to crack up. It wasn’t funny, actually. It meant his drunk-ass father hadn’t remembered to buy toilet paper before spending the rest on booze and cigarettes.

The whole situation sucked more than a little- part of why it happened was cause toiletries weren’t classified as a “necessity” by the government for some reason. EBT would buy a lot of different food-related things, but not things like alcohol, cigarettes, or TP. (Or, as he’d learned, certain monthly products his Mom and sister needed. Jesus.)

So, after the McCormicks paid the bills, those household standards were all paid for out what was left of Carol’s tiny paycheck. Kenny’s Mom was pretty reliable about keeping her priorities straight, but if Kenny’s Dad did the shopping while Carol was at work, sometimes this shit happened. Literally.

It was frustrating, especially since Kenny knew that _other_ poor houses managed to stock that particular staple. (He’d noted those households managed to keep the place _clean,_ as well.) But hey- no point in wishes; his parents were who they were, and they were probably just doing their best with the hand they got dealt, too.

He eyed Kyle, almost feeling bad for the guy since he was clearly out of his depth. “Do you need some paper, dude? I grabbed a bunch of tissues at school today.”

Kyle spluttered incoherently for a moment and Kenny heard a choked little snort of laughter escape Stan off on the side of the room- he kind of hoped Kyle didn’t notice that. It was one thing for Kenny to tease him, but Kyle was _sensitive_ about Stan, and he’d be hurt if he thought Stan was making fun of him. They’d had fights about it before.

The thing was, Stan at least kind of understood Kenny’s view on things, since the Marshes’ house was somewhere between the pristine suburban palace of La Casa Broflovski and the McCormick Shithole(tm).

Kenny largely attributed this to Sharon being a normal human being doing her best to raise Stan and Shelley with Stan’s loud, unpredictable father. Honestly, if Kenny didn’t know better, he’d have thought _Randy_ and his Dad used to be buddies instead of Gerald and Stuart. But there ya go.

“I’m _fine_ ” said Kyle finally, stress apparent in his voice. “I used some tissues from the pack in my pocket.”

Kenny nodded approvingly. “Good thinking. Hey- you guys want a snack?” Thanks to a little pressure from the town superhero (cough cough), Stuart at least hadn’t illegally bartered away any of their other shit for booze, so there was actually food besides pop tarts in the house lately. “We’ve got popcorn or Oreos.”

“I could go for some Oreos,” said Stan hopefully, and Kenny was relieved that his earlier melancholy had faded into the background. The last thing he needed was for this strategy session to get derailed because Kyle thought Kenny made Stan cry. They could talk about their guilt and issues on their own time if need be- Kenny didn’t need to be present for that, thanks.

Personally, Kenny thought they had a lot of _other_ things they ought to be talking about. Like, say, their _intense_ UST; but far be it for him to dictate when other people admitted they loved someone and wanted to bang them exclusively. He really felt that kind of, you know, _romantic_ stuff was really up to people’s individual pace.

 _That being said_ , Kenny thought grimly, as they trudged down to the kitchen, _if Kyle and Stan don’t get their shit together by senior year I might have to enlist Butters’ help and stage some parent-trap-esque mercy intervention_.

It would be for Kenny’s own good, too. He was _not_ suffering though two weekly phone calls where Stan and Kyle moaned and cried because they did something stupid like choose separate colleges. Just thinking about it gave him a migraine.

* * *

 

In the end of it all, the strategy session had mostly consisted mostly of making lists. They made lists of who hated Butters, and just to be safe, who hated Kenny. They made lists of places Kenny and Butters had made out (and wasn’t Kyle’s face just _priceless_ when he heard some of those; Stan meanwhile, merely looked thoughtful. Maybe an intervention _wouldn’t_ be necessary. HAH.)

Kyle helpfully pointed out that whoever it was might not even have actually seen Butters and Kenny kissing, or known the truth about them at all. There was a chance that the ‘informant’ had simply noticed that Butters had a close guy friend and decided that being close with another boy made a gay rumor believable.

 _Dammit_.

“I didn’t even _think_ of that, dude” Kenny said, ruefully. “Thank you, but also, _shit_.” That made their field of suspects a hell of a lot wider. Kenny figured at this point nearly anyone could have noticed that he and Butters were close.

“Ahh, but don’t forget,” Kyle said, one finger in the air, “it also has to be someone with _motive_. Plenty of people might know you two are friends, but it has to be someone who either hates you guys, or who would benefit from Butters getting hurt.”

“Or someone who hates gay people” said Stan, still chewing an Oreo. “God knows there’s enough idiot homophobes in town who’d convince themselves they were doing Butters a favor by turning him in.”

Kyle looked disheartened. “Oh. Yeah...” He was still for a second, and then he huffed and threw himself backwards on Kenny’s bed. “ _Shit_. I mean, I thought we were onto something there.”

“We are, dude,” Kenny sighed. “It’s just there’s a lot more possible ‘somethings’ than we thought.” He wanted to hug Kyle, but these days Kyle didn’t really like being touched as much as, say, Stan did. _Except BY Stan,_ Kenny thought wryly. “We’ll have to just see if we hear anything, and pay attention to see if anyone at school is looking funny at Butters or me.”

The ideas sort of petered off there, so they stopped for the day and the guys went home _._ It was nice though, Kenny thought, to know the guys had his back.

* * *

 

Kenny was gathering his forces, building up the ranks of people who supported him and Butters. Now when all this started to hit the fan- and let’s face it, that was _inevitable_ in this town- Kenny knew who he could count on. That night in his room, as Kenny went over the information all his different friends had given him, he couldn’t help but smile a little through his worry. He sent a mental kiss to his boyfriend, trying to will his feelings across the distance. _We’re not alone in this, Butters. Hold on, babe. Help’s coming._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Next chapter will likely a) reveal Kenny's mystery friends, and b) add back in a missing player to point the boys toward some answers.  
> Thanks for your patience, and I hoped you liked the new chapter! (If you did, tell me maybe? Haha)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the week goes on, Kenny continues to gather allies for his fight against the shadowy figures interfering in Butters' life. New alliances are made, and old friendships called further into question. And through it all, Kenny has to worry- how can he protect someone he isn't supposed to talk to? How can he shield a boyfriend who has to keep their relationship in the dark?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …oh WOW you guys. I’m really touched and a little speechless that you’ve all been missing this story so much. Thank you so much for all the feedback, and letting me know you’ve been enjoying it! I’ve been dealing with writer’s block and a lack of quiet places to write, but you were all so encouraging I really wanted to try for you, so here we go- the next installment- and a little longer chapter to say thank you for all the support!

The next day, as the late afternoon sunshine poured in through the classroom windows, Kenny thought about his objectives for today and packed up his new (AKA Kyle’s old) schoolbag. A wry little smile twisted up his mouth when he thought about this morning when Kyle had given it to him. Kyle had tried really hard to be casual about it and not make Kenny feel like a charity case (even though he was, let’s be fucking honest). But, hey, it was nice of Kyle to try. Progress.

Kyle had also downplayed it by saying that the backpack “wasn’t so great,” and was “barely better than carrying your stuff to school in a grocery bag.” (A lie- it was actually still in good shape.) The only part of Kyle’s attempt to shrug off the gesture that rang true was when he warned Kenny about Cartman.

“Seriously man- he spends so much time like _staring_ at me- there’s _no way_ he won’t recognize that backpack and still rag on you for it.” He rolled his eyes. “You know- whenever he feels like coming back to school.”

Kyle’s eyes lit up hopefully. “IF? IF he comes back to school? ohmyGod can you imagine if he just” Kyle made a ‘spirit fingers’ gesture “magically decided to NEVER RETURN? I wouldn’t need a single birthday or Hanukkah present this year, I _SWEAR_.”

He looked up at the sky, shouting “DO YOU HEAR ME? THAT’S THE ONLY MIRACLE I NEED THIS YEAR.” A few minutes later when Stan skidded over the bus stop late, a cereal bar in his hand, Kenny was still wheezing with laughter.

Kenny shook his head fondly at the memory, stuffing the last of his schoolbooks into the bag and trying to refocus on what he needed to do now that school was out for the day. He had looked over the documents about that corrupted school official during study hall, and he felt ready to consult with his source about their next step getting the man ousted. And then- well?

Then he had a favor to ask her…

* * *

 

Kenny looked up from the Rainbow Railing to the head table of the Pleases and Sparkles Committee. She adjusted her wig and tiara and waited for the meeting to come back to order after the flurry of discussion.

“SO,” said Wendy, “now you’ve all heard the formal request, and had a chance to discuss the details. If it pleases and sparkles, this committee puts forth the motion to aid Princess Kenny with her mission to help her boyfriend and prevent further cases of teen abuse and neglect in this town. Does that sparkle with all the girls?”

“Sunshine!”

“Sunshine!”

There was a few more moments of this, and the vote was unanimous. “Excellent!” said Wendy. “I’ll put a sign up sheet at the table here. Please check your after-school activities schedules and then choose a day and time to do your part.”

Kenny heaved a sigh of relief, leaning on the railing a little before regaining her composure and straightening the flounces of her dress. Overcome with emotion or not, a Princess mustn’t slouch.

Being genderfluid (and occasionally identifying as female) Kenny and Butters were the only members of their class who had been allowed into both the Pleases and Sparkles Committee, AND the boys’ locker room on a consistent basis. They took the honor and the responsibility very seriously and never revealed anything they knew about the girls’ meetings. (Or, for that matter, the boys’ locker room.)

Butters was just a more feminine version of who Butters already was anyway, but when Kenny was having a girl-day, it was always expressed as the Princess- and that came with certain requirements. She might have been a mischievous person, but her female expression was _royalty_ \- that meant dignity, cuteness, and a certain _air_ about her. She always endeavored to live up to that noble persona when she was the Princess.

Wendy finished explaining the finer points of the girls’ call to aid to the committee, including a few tips that might come in handy in case of possible hostile encounters with adults. She called the meeting to an end a few minutes later, and the room filled with the sound of scraping chairs and discussion again as the girls got to their feet.

Kenny watched for a moment as the girls milled around at the front, consulting their phone schedules and signing their names on the availability sheet, then she crossed over to see their leaders.

As Kenny approached Wendy and Bebe, she could tell they were still going over a few logistics for the mission. (There had been some discussion, for example, about whether or not it would be necessary to send all their texts in code.)

“Hello Lady Wendy, Hello Lady Bebe.” They stopped talking and turned to look at Kenny expectantly.

When Kenny had first explained things to them, Bebe and Wendy had both agreed that Butters’ situation was “fucked up”; but until the meeting today, Kenny hadn’t been sure how much support they could actually get from the other girls.

Kenny smiled graciously. “I just wanted to say how grateful I am to you for putting forth the motion. It means a lot to me that you and the others were all willing to help.”

Wendy and Bebe smiled broadly at each other, then at Kenny. “It’s our pleasure, Princess,” said Wendy. A more serious look crossed her face. “Nobody should be tortured like that for being who they are.”

“Seriously!” Bebe said, her hand taking Wendy’s, squeezing it firmly.

Kenny saw Wendy squeeze back before she continued speaking. “What happened to Butters was abhorrent; it’s _exactly_ the kind of thing we’ve been trying to fight at this school, and so of course we’re pleased about anything we can reasonably do to help.”

Wendy waved her other hand around. “Now, I know you and Butters are only members of the committee _sometimes_ , but even on your boy-days, we would still consider this our jurisdiction. Really. Even if you and Butters were _just_ boys like the others, this is so serious, we would do the same for any of you.”

“Anyone?” Bebe said, looking at Wendy. Wendy frowned thoughtfully. She scowled. “Okay, maybe not Cartman. For safety reasons.”

Kenny inclined her head, shrugging lightly in agreement.

“So, anyway; to business.” Wendy cleared her throat. “Once we set this all up, we’ll be coordinating with you by text messages so we know when it’s our turn and the girl who chose that day and time slot will show up. If someone is sick or can’t make it, there’ll be an alternate. Did you find a way to get Butters the information?”

Kenny nodded slow and regally. “I spoke with him at lunch last week about the possibility. Tomorrow, at lunch again, I’m going to fill him in on the details.” She leaned in, speaking softly, “Just between us girls? That’s the only time everyone seems too distracted to notice us off by ourselves.” She leaned back, looking at the girls solemnly, “And that’s how I’d like it to _stay_ , until he feels comfortable coming into the lunchroom, if you understand?”

Wendy nodded sympathetically, her mouth a thin line, and Bebe, casting a glance around at the girls over by the sheet, merely murmured “Sunshine.”

Kenny let herself smile a little wider. “Thanks again, ladies. Truly.”

Wendy smiled back. “Don’t mention it. Now. Scoot. _You_ need to rest, and the rest of us need to _shop_. We have to get supplies.”

“And our stories straight,” said Bebe wryly, nudging her shoulder to Wendy’s.

Wendy nodded, eyebrows raised. “True.” She squeezed Bebe’s hand again, looking into her eyes. “But it’s nothing we can’t handle.” The look held for a moment before their focus shifted back to Princess Kenny.

“Get your beauty sleep.” said Wendy. “We’ll be waiting to hear a go-ahead from you that Butters has been informed. If everything goes smoothly with that-” she glanced at Bebe again, who nodded, “then we’ll begin the plan tomorrow. Then when you say it’s _your_ turn, the girl whose timeslot it was will hand you off a package in school, alright?”

Princess Kenny, overwhelmed with joy, gave up all the solemnity of her crown for a moment and just _beamed_.

* * *

 

Kenny went to bed feeling very good about life in general that evening. Between Mysterion assisting Wendy concerning that matter with the school official, and the help the girls’ committee was giving him for Butters, there was a nice balance at work. Felt right.

Besides, there was just something that felt very harmonious about all the parts of his personality being involved in caring for Butters. He glanced over at the wig-stand sitting on the corner of his dresser, then over at his dresser, and he made a mental note to pack his hood and tights tomorrow, just in case.

 _Keep holding on, Buttercup,_ he thought, crossing his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling. _Just a little longer. I’m on my way, babe. And I’m bringing **reinforcements**. _

* * *

The next day started with the usual bus fumes and chilly air. Kenny groggily hopped around a little, trying to keep himself warm while he waited for the students to be let into the school. _Just another minute or two, thank god._ He glanced around and saw Butters standing off to the side, blinking sleepily and rubbing his eyes.

 _Eesssh. I don’t like the look of those dark circles. Is he not eating OR sleeping?_ Kenny was just making a mental note to ask Butters about it later when a car pulled up to the underclassmen’s entrance to the school.

Kenny blinked. South Park being so small, most kids didn’t get _driven_ to school, choosing to walk or take the bus instead. Besides that, no one coming to the underclassman entrance was old enough to have a permit yet- so seeing a car near this section of the school was a rarity. Kenny squinted, trying to see who was getting out.

 _Oh_ , he thought, mildly interested, _Cartman’s fat ass is finally back from vacation._ He rolled his eyes, preemptively deciding to go find Stan and Kyle. _Bet he brags about getting to miss the beginning of school_.

Kyle and Stan were busy comparing grades for their first Lit class quiz, and hadn’t seemed to notice Cartman’s grand entrance. Kenny strolled up and tapped Stan’s shoulder. “Hey guys- look what the Liane dragged in. Probably kicking and screaming.”

Stan and Kyle made faces and glanced over where Kenny indicated.

“Oh God,” muttered Kyle. “Just when I was letting myself hope they’d moved away or something.”

“Hey now,” said Kenny, “Lianne is alright…”

“Oh, _she’s_ ok,” said Kyle, rolling his eyes and waving a hand around “it’s not her I have the problem with. Just that unfortunate growth she had removed 15 years ago.”

Stan cracked up helplessly, leaning an arm on Kyle’s shoulder and burying his face in it while he snorted and gulped air. Kyle’s cheeks turned a little pink, but he seemed pleased about making Stan laugh, because he was grinning even though Cartman was headed their way.

“EY you fags, did you finally start boning while I was off having the time of my life NOT being at school?”

Kenny sighed. _Here we go._

“Shut the hell up, Cartman,” said Kyle wearily. Stan, meanwhile, straightened up away from Kyle to his full height, scowling a little.

Stan was doing that a lot more lately; while they were all (BESIDES KENNY) getting taller, Eric’s football-dad-lineage seemed to have given him the edge. Everyone’s reaction was different to this development, (Kyle, for example, occasionally questioned if there was any kind of _just God_ at work in the universe) but Stan’s reaction was the one Kenny found most disturbing.

Stan got _defensive_ and tried to puff him himself up more around Cartman, now- sometimes even at the expense of his literal closeness with Kyle. It kind of made Kenny want to smack Stan almost as much as he wanted to smack Cartman.

Cartman- whose increase in height still hadn’t made him ’the bigger person’; not that Kenny had expected much.

“What? It’s a _legitimate question_.” Cartman said, faking innocence, his voice syrupy. “I was just wishing you fags as much happiness as _I’ve_ been having, Kahl, spending _all_ of last week skipping to the head of EVERY LINE at the amusement park. That is, when I wasn’t having whatever I wanted brought to me by room service.” He simpered, looking around at them expectantly.

This was greeted with silence. Kenny watched Kyle’s eyes meet Stan’s. Stan picked up the papers he and Kyle had been looking over a moment before. “So. What did you get for number three?”

Kyle hummed, looking over his own test paper. “Actually I got that one wrong too, dude. Why the fuck doesn’t this teacher ever put the _right_ answer when he corrects? Isn’t that the point of correcting?!”

Eric’s mouth fell open, and his shit-eating smile slid into a dark glower. Kenny, meanwhile, nearly imploded with suppressed laughter and relief- some things would never change; Stan and Kyle’s bond was one of them.

“ ** _Excuse_** me,” said Cartman, imperious and peeved “I _happen_ to have skipped school to have the best vacation of _all_ _time_ , so maybe you want to listen to this and learn a little something? Set some _goals_ for yourselves?”

His gaze shifted down to Kenny, and then away dismissively back up to everyone else’s eye-height, reaching down to pat Kenny’s sleeve in the parody of a consoling gesture. “You don’t have to listen Kinny, your parents couldn’t afford it anyway.”

Kenny hissed through his teeth, jerking his arm away from Cartman’s condescending hands. “ _NICE_ to have you back, asshole. SEEYA.” He turned on his heel and was about to go find Wendy or Craig-and-those-guys for awhile- when he saw Butters approaching their group.

Kenny froze for a moment, having a microsecond of debate with himself. _If Butters is talking to ALL of us, that doesn’t single me and Butters out as an item, right? …Right._ He sighed. _Shit. The things I do for love._ He turned back to the group, waiting for Butters to arrive.

“Hiya fellas!” said Butters, attempting his usual brightness, but still very clearly exhausted. The fatigue gave his voice a dark, rough quality that (though also worrisome) was instantly fascinating to Kenny. It made him sound kind of _serious_ or something.

“Hey Butters.” said Kyle absently, still doing double duty trying to determine the correct answer while ignoring Cartman.

“Hey dude!” said Stan, looking up and smiling briefly.

Cartman, meanwhile, was silent. Kenny blinked, looking over at him. _Cartman, speechless? Is Satan busy building a skating rink down there?_ When Kenny looked at him, Cartman didn’t return the glance. Instead, Cartman was wholly preoccupied with staring _up_ , wide-eyed, at Butters.

Butters also noticed Cartman’s gaze, and seemed to take it as an invitation to move closer. He was looming over Cartman now, very close, and it was painfully apparent that whereas Butters had gained inches in height, Cartman had recently only gained them on his waistline. “H-hi _Eric_ ,” Butters said quiet but firm. He was still trying to sound cheerful, but he was too tired and anxious. His delivery was forced-sounding, dismal, and the overall effect sounded strange, almost robotic.

Cartman whimpered.

Kyle and Stan looked up from their papers at him, blinking curiously.

Butters frowned, clearly embarrassed that he didn’t sound normal. “H-how **_are_** **_you_**?” he said, even more forcefully than before, and sounding very stern as a result. His exhausted eyes were barely open, and the hooded effect on his gaze could nearly be mistaken for _sinister_. Kenny wasn’t sure if he was more worried or amused (though he was admittedly tipping toward amused because what was WRONG with Cartman’s _face?_ )

Cartman opened his mouth. He looked Butters up and down. He shut his mouth again. His eyes widened still further and he blinked rapidly.

Kenny stared, a sudden thought freezing him up. _Afraid?_ _He’s…afraid? What, because Butters **grew** so much? Why would that…_

Butters, apparently too drained to interpret Cartman’s reactions properly, frowned in confusion and unhappiness. Clearly putting a _ludicrous_ amount of effort into his next try, he leaned even closer and asked in a slow and pointed tone, “How. Was. **_your_** summer?” He looked at Cartman uncertainly. “ **Buddy**?”

Cartman made a shrill squeaking noise, and to Kenny’s shock, _literally_ shat his pants.

Seriously. There was no mistaking that sound. They all gawked, and then moved back swiftly. There was no mistaking that smell, either.

“DUDE, _What the FUCK_?” said Kenny. But Cartman was too busy covering his ass with his hands and running into the school to answer.

Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Butters all stared at each other. Then at the school- then back at each other. For a moment, no one spoke.

Finally, Stan was the first to recover. “Well. That was pretty fucked up right there.”

As if on cue, the doors to the school opened for the morning.

* * *

 

They got through homeroom without seeing Cartman, and figured that he must have gone to the bathroom and then the nurse’s or something.

“There’s no way he’d borrow anything from the lost and found,” said Kyle, speaking over his shoulder as he switched books out of his locker. “Even if it DID fit, he’d say that he’s too good to wear someone else’s leftover clothes. He’s probably waiting there for Lianne to bring him some new pants.”

“Yeah, or to bring him _home_. Like, what the _fuck_ was that?” Stan, still unsettled, looked at Butters, who just rubbed his face in exhaustion and shrugged helplessly.

“M-maybe he didn’t recognize me anymore?” he said, sounding disturbed.

Kenny closed his locker and rolled his eyes, feeling a rush of affection. “Dude. You got a growth spurt, not a face transplant. There’s just something else fucking with him.”

“And god knows we’ll probably hear ALLLL about it soon enough. So let’s just enjoy the silence while we can.” said Kyle.

Kenny nodded vehemently to that, pointing to Kyle, and Stan finally shrugged and said “Sounds good to me.”

“But I SWEAR,” said Kyle, “if this was just something to do with Chipotle again-”

Butters and Kenny broke into giggles at the disgusted face Kyle was making, and Stan cracked a grin, elbowing Kyle’s arm. “Yeah, yeah. We know.”

At that point, they all drifted away from their lockers toward their classrooms. Stan and Kyle had separate classes for this period, and Kenny watched them uncomfortably steeling themselves for the _whole hour_ they’d have to be apart.

 _Seriously._ Kenny thought. _I will parent trap your asses. You have till senior year guys. Get your shit together or else._ He shook his head and headed off to pee before his first class, which thankfully, he DID have with Butters.

Except that Butters wasn’t there. Not the whole class.

Kenny tapped his pencil on the desk and chewed the end of his shirtsleeve out of anxious confusion. He even tried (vainly) to distract himself by actually paying attention to the lesson. By the end of the period he had a page full of notes he didn’t remember taking, and his shirtsleeve was disgusting. He cuffed the sleeve and gathered up his books. _Maybe Butters fell asleep in the bathroom or something??_ Kenny thought, and tried to himself calm down.

But then Butters was also absent from their second class together. And Kenny had to go to his third period class (which they did NOT share) worrying that he had no way to see if Butters was in class or still gone.

 ** _Gone_**. The word echoed in Kenny’s head all during class, like a gong foretelling doom that drowned out everything else that tried to enter in his ears. _Gone. Gone. Gone. Just like this summer. **Gone**._ He felt sick.

Kenny decided that if Butters weren’t there by their third shared class, right before lunch, then he was going to skip out and _find_ him, teacher’s wrath be damned.

Kenny didn’t care. He didn’t give a _shit_. He’d vault his entire 4 foot frame over their gargantuan biology teacher like a gotdam spider monkey from hell if it meant finding out where Butters was.

Fortunately Butters was there. _Unfortunately_ , all the progress Kenny had made at wiping the blank look from his face since he got back from the summer? Yeah, _that_ was what was _gone_.

Through the entire lesson, Butters looked out at the classroom with eyes like flat, frozen stones. If someone was looking at his face, they _might_ be fooled into thinking Butters was relaxed- but his shoulders were more truthful. Kenny thought any muscle pulled that tight was probably at risk of snapping.

It was for that reason and that reason alone that he decided it was necessary to break his own rule about contact. Right before the bell rang, he got Kyle to pass a swift note to Butters. _The usual place. Now. Be there in 15._

Fuck it. Neither of them were showing up for lunch _or_ study hall today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks as usual to fallingwthstyle for all their support and feedback! You da best, dude. :)  
> Also Sirius16 and also all you other amazing peeps, Barf, Drowsymermaid, SakurasApprentice, agressivePushover, iamironman, and Freddiegirl! You all have been gently leading me back to the computer, even when it’s noisy here and hard to concentrate or I’m feeling down, so thank you!  
> And SakurasApprentice - woah! Welcome to the story! You literally read through and responded to EVERY chapter- that's so great. <3 Seriously, thanks for the input!
> 
> It’s exciting to get kudos too, and I appreciate *everyone* who took time to let me know that they enjoyed the story in some way- thank you!  
> But actually hearing what people liked about the story and hearing that they want to know more was so motivating, I can’t even explain, so thank you, thank you, a thousand times, thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny finds out where Butters has been all morning, Butters gets some much needed comfort from his boyfriend, and Kenny gets suspicious about a coincidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! Details and thank yous in the End Notes.

Kenny had just settled himself on the floor-scrubber in the custodian’s closet when Butters stumbled in, locking the door behind him. Kenny had barely stopped to pee before getting over here as discreetly as possible. He trusted Butters to have paid the same amount of attention, and didn’t stress him out more by asking if he’d been followed.

(If the child of a strict household knew _anything_ , they knew how to **_sneak_**.)

Kenny also didn’t bother sending out an engraved invitation to his arms. He just sat with them flung wide and waited patiently. He wasn’t waiting long; Butters practically knocked him over he’d thrown himself at Kenny so fast. He was kneeling on the floor-scrubber’s footrest, his face pressed to Kenny’s midsection, gasping horribly.

“Oof. There we go, Buttercup. Hey, hey, shhh. S’alright.” He’d wrapped his arms around Butters’ back, and was now stroking soothingly at the taller boy’s trembling muscles. “S’gonna be ohh-kay. You’re _here_ now. I’m right here.” He leaned down to kiss Butters’ temple gently.

Butters just alternated between nearly hyperventilating and moving up to cry into Kenny’s shoulder for a few minutes while Kenny rubbed his back and made comforting noises. “Hey. Heeey now. It’s okay, it’s gonna be _Ohh-_ kay.”

Butters’ tears were subsiding but his breathing was still a wreck and even Kenny was struggling to keep his composure at this point. “ **Oh** -kay, _ohh_ -kay. Listen, babe. Listen? Can you look at me for a second? Butters? Buttercup?” Butters’ gaze finally met Kenny, and his eyes were so wide and glazed that Kenny felt sick. He forced himself to sound calm. “You’re here now. They can’t find us here, okay? You’re here now.” Butters shivered under Kenny’s hands.

“Alright-” Kenny stroked a careful hand down Butters’ back. “Do you think you can do some breathing with _me_ now, Butters?” Butters looked uncertain, his breath still making ragged sounds in the closet, but he nodded shakily. “Good!” said Kenny. “I want you to just look at me and match my breathing okay? Slow and steady, babe.”

“I-ah-I-” Butters was stuttering enough to be effectively mute, and being unable to vocalize the problem seemed to be winding him up even worse.  Shit. There was no point in asking Butters what had happened while he was like this.

Kenny decided to go for plan “B”; _Babbling_ about pleasant nonsense. “Hey! So, Karen drew a pretty nice picture the other day.” He kept one arm looped around Butters’ broad shoulders, and kept his other hand flitting between rubbing his back and stroking his hair.

Butters didn’t say anything, just clutched at Kenny tightly, which is pretty much all Kenny expected right now.

“She wants me to snap it with my phone to show you she’s been practicing,” he continued. “She said she’s never had anyone teach her art ‘as good as Butters did’.”

There was nothing but a sniffling, hiccup-y noise in response, but Butters’ breathing was starting to sound more natural, so Kenny felt encouraged. He rubbed Butters back muscles a little more firmly, feeling them start to loosen under the attention.

“She said that she knows she still has to practice a lot more, but that art is also her highest grade right now, and she’s really enjoying it a lot because you already showed her so much last year.”

Butters sighed softly and he moved up a little to nuzzle at Kenny’s shoulder. “I.” He paused, swallowing and clearing his throat. “I’m r-real g-glad about that Ken. Karen’s a g-good girl.”

Kenny let out a slow sigh of relief. Verbal again already- a good sign.

“She sure is, Buttercup. And she likes spending time with us a lot! She told me that you’re her favorite out of allll my friends. She told me that I should ‘have Butters over more’.”

Kenny felt Butters smile against his shoulder. “Aw. T-that’s real sweet, Ken.”

Kenny grinned and kissed Butters’ temple. “To be fair, you’re the only one who pays her any special attention.”

Butters laughed a little, his back rumbling under Kenny’s hands. “W-well I’m real happy about it anyway, Ken. I-I think it would be real nice if your family likes me.”

“What’s not to like?” said Kenny. He squeezed his arms around Butters briefly, and then let them resume a looser hold. “You’re like a cake made of sunshine.”

Butters laughed again and kissed Kenny’s cheek. Kenny let things lapse into comfortable silence for a few minutes, just concentrating on stroking Butters’ back muscles and keeping an ear trained on the hall outside. So far so good- no one had ventured down this way in a long while. Finally, he felt it might be safe to broach the subject that had required this secretive meet-up in the first place.

“You feeling okay now, Butters?” he asked.  Butters must have been so tired that he was on the verge of nodding off, because even though kneeling couldn’t have been comfortable, he jerked suddenly awake. Kenny had to move his head back swiftly to avoid getting head-butted. _Just what we’d need. He drives my nose into my skull, I **die** , and he gets MORE traumatized by being locked in a closet with his dead boyfriend. NOT TODAY, THANKS._

“Y-yeah, Ken. I’m alright, I guess.” _Oh God, it should be criminal to sound that sleepy and adorable._ Kenny shook himself off mentally.

“Do you feel calm enough to tell me what happened, or should we save that for another time?” A dark look crossed Butters’ face, and Kenny regretted that once again, he had to hurt him by making him remember upsetting things.

“I-I. I missed class,” said Butters slowly, a look of tight concentration on his face.

“You sure did, baby.” Kenny said. “I was worried sick.”

Butters looked up at him, stricken “Aw, Kenny, I’m s-sorry!”

Kenny winced. _Shit_. He shook his head exaggeratedly. “Hey. Don’t apologize to me, Beautiful, apologize to Mr. Shirt.” Kenny held up the sodden shirtsleeve he’d been biting when Butters was gone.  Butters gawked, reaching behind himself as if to check for a wet spot on his back.

“EWW. Kenny! Were you c-chewin’ that?” He pulled a face.

Kenny muffled a laugh behind his other sleeve. He leaned in and kissed Butters temple “Just because I was so nervous. If I didn’t, I woulda been biting my actual hands.”

“Oh,” said Butters with an uneasy expression. “S-sorry!”

Kenny shook his head again. “Never mind that- what happened, big guy?”

Butters froze. “O-oh. Right.” He looked away miserably. There was silence for a moment, and Butters started to shiver again. When he spoke next, his voice was a strained whisper.

“I- um. I g-got called to see Mr. Thoms, Ken.” He shivers shook him fiercely, and buried his face in Kenny’s shoulder again.  
  
_FUCK_.

Kenny’s heart started to pound wildly. “Oh _shit_ baby. I’m so sorry.” Kenny rocked him gently and whispered more soothing nothings. 

* * *

  
_But no wonder he’s a wreck_ Kenny thought, grim and furious with himself and the world.

Mr. Thoms was the school official that Kenny, Wendy and Bebe had been gathering intel about. They wanted  to get him fired (or if enough unsavory things came to light, arrested.) 

A sanctimonious man, Thoms liked nothing better than handing out dress code violations to girls for wardrobe offenses; the kind that only someone _really **looking**_ would have noticed. He simultaneously preached abstinence, and told filthy jokes if only boys were present— then got childishly offended if none of the boys laughed. He was, as Stan put it “the worst kind of Melvin. He says worse things and tries harder than my Dad.”

Wendy had a long standing feud with Thoms because he had tried (unsuccessfully) to block her from starting up the school’s GSA when they were freshmen, and had often used his power at the school to make her life difficult. She, “Mysterion”, and Kenny had been gathering evidence about his bad behavior since the previous year. Their plan was to bring absolute proof before the principal and the school board that, in the very least, he was unfit to work in a school.

Kenny’s alliance with Wendy and Bebe had started one day last year when he was trying to get a snack. While Kenny’d been trying to make the vending machine accept his wrinkly dollar so he could get some Bugles, he had overheard Wendy telling Bebe about Thoms. She was leaning against a wall behind him, near the girls’ lavs.

“It’s not _SAFE_ with him around,” Wendy whispered tearfully. “And not just for us! Do you know he tried to tell Kevin’s parents that Mr. Spock was the devil, and that Star Trek was going to ‘lead their son to evil’?”

Bebe had been resting her hip on the wall next to her and blocking Wendy’s distress from the students passing in the hall. At hearing that, she switched positions to put her arm around Wendy’s shoulder and leaned in closer. “ _C’mon_ , the Stoleys didn’t believe that shit, did they?”

Wendy scoffed softly, looking away. Bebe grinned. “Didn’t think so.” She squeezed Wendy’s arm bracingly.

“But that’s not even all of it!” Wendy hissed, her fingers scrabbling to bunch up on Bebe’s sleeve.  “I overheard him telling one of the teachers (who was trying to walk away as fast as they _could_ , mind you!) that the reason Jimmy’s that way is because his parents are sinners.”

Wendy was breathing hard to the point of hyperventilation by now, apparently fueled entirely by her fury. “That man should NEVER BE near children. Or people at all! He’s DISGUSTING!” She had been whispering all of this so fast and angrily that Kenny thought he must have misheard her.

He didn’t want to admit he’d been eavesdropping, but holy shit, he also didn’t want to think a dangerous fuckhead like that was someone who had power over them in this school. He took a few steps backward, past the people traveling by, and into the alcove by the girls’ room.

“Hey, Wendy? Sorry, but I couldn’t help hearing. Did he _really_ say that fucked up _disgusting_ _bullshit_ about Jimmy?”

Wendy looked taken aback for a second at the unexpected intrusion, but her expression cleared when Bebe’s hand steadied at her arm. She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye.

“ _Yes_ , Kenny, he did. And a good deal more, about a LOT people. That’s one of the worst examples, but it’s not even the only thing he’s said about Jimmy, never mind all the things about other students. _Craig_ is the one that overheard that one, _if you can imagine_ , and you _know_ he’s not one to start drama with lies.”

Her mouth twisted up tight. “Craig doesn’t even usually _talk_ to me, but he made a point to catch me in the parking lot afterschool to tell me about it. He says he wants my help for revenge.” A vaguely pleased look crossed her face. “He said he remembered my success at cutting through people’s bullshit in elementary school.”

The satisfaction in her eyes leeched away, replaced by sadness.  “That, and he said that bringing his guys into it would mean explaining why he wanted to bring the bastard down. He said that even though Jimmy can take care of himself, he still never wants him to find out what that evil piece of shit has been saying about him.”

 Wendy looked on the edge of furious tears. “ _And I don’t blame him!_ It’s bad _enough_ that administration ignores this guy’s _clear_ "anti-anything-but-straight" bigotry, but making up “moral” shit about disabled kids? That’s a whole other kind of _fucked up_.” Her eyes were nearly aflame with righteous rage. “And if **_I_** find out that the people running this school _know_ he’s like this and have just been _endangering us_ by letting it SLIDE-!”

Bebe clapped a hand over Wendy’s mouth and looked at her in alarm. “Keep it down, Wends!” she said, and her eyes scanned the people nearest them. Thankfully it was all students and none of them seemed to be paying attention. 

Wendy seemed startled, still breathing hard, but she closed her eyes and let her face slide down in Bebe’s hand until her forehead was resting in her girlfriend’s palm. Bebe brought her other hand up to stroke through Wendy’s dark hair; but Kenny saw that while her hands were gentle, her eyes were steel. While Bebe tried to soothe Wendy’s frayed patience, she was still keeping an assessing, vigilant eye on the people passing them in the hallway.

 _Jesus,_ Kenny thought dazedly, half admiring Bebe’s fierceness, and half sick over why it was necessary. _She’s so on edge you’d think we were in a corrupt jailhouse instead of a school._ He bit at the inside of his cheek, his thoughts swirling. _The worst is, as long as that guy’s around, she’s not far off the fucking mark._

Kenny was dizzy with what he’d just heard. He had known that the school counselor was no Mr. Mackey, but he’d also never guessed that the guy most of the girls had labeled “The Creep” was _this_ bad. _Guess the nickname was no exaggeration. This is what you get for keeping your head down, idiot._

As a McCormick, you learned fast and you learned the hard way that people “in charge” of anything were probably bad news for you- so Kenny had been too caught up with _avoiding_ administration to really look into the miserable whispers he heard around school. Now he felt fucking queasy thinking about how many innocent people a tyrant like that could hurt with the sort of power and influence they had in a school system.  He could recommend expelling or _putting away_ someone who was perfectly fine or hadn’t done anything wrong- he could ruin _lives_.

Well. Not on Kenny’s fuckin’ watch if he could help it. _Not one more_ _kid at this school_ if he had any say. For God’s sake, his _little sister_ would be coming through these freaking halls in a few years. Even though in reality it was stowed away behind some nasty gym clothes in his locker, Kenny could practically feel his cape fluttering against the backs of his legs.

“Wendy?”

Wendy was still breathing rough and seemed to intentionally take a few extra seconds pulling back from Bebe’s hands.  When she met his eyes again, the anger was still there, but useful and sharp instead of erratic. “Yes, Kenny?”

He nodded to her solemnly. “If there’s _anything_ I or” he leaned in to whisper, “ _Mysterion_ ,” and he leaned back, “can do to help? We want to. Say the word. Seriously.”

A jagged little smile flashed over Wendy’s expression. It made the anger in her eyes look brighter, somehow. Almost gleeful. “Count on it.” She looked at Bebe, who offered Wendy a gentler smile and a firm nod. Then she looked back to Kenny with an appraising air. Kenny could swear he heard the gears in her head turning.  “You’ll be hearing from us.”

* * *

 

Ever since then, Wendy, Bebe and Kenny had been gathering evidence of all the shit that Thoms been saying and doing over the years.  It was slow going because schools didn’t like to advertise when one of their employees had been up to bad business. The three of them knew they were on the right track, however, by observing Thoms’ behavior around parents and other school officials in town. Kenny had been lurking as Mysterion around the school during meetings, and occasionally listening at Thoms’ house windows.

Thoms wasn’t the only horrible person in this hick town, and it was clear that he knew it. The piece of shit had begun specifically trying to ingratiate himself with the parents and other officials who seemed the most likely to share his views.  He was kissing ass and whispering secrets among the worst people their town offered, hoping to save himself from future trouble by currying favor.

Wendy said she suspected it was because he’d been kicked out of school districts before.

* * *

 

Back in the present, Kenny’s mind was racing. “What did he say he was calling you in for?” he said, a disturbed feeling stirring his guts and itching at the edge of his thoughts.

Butters shivered in Kenny’s arms again, rubbing his face against his chest like he was trying to climb into Kenny’s clothes. He sniffled, and was silent for so long Kenny thought that might be the end of the matter for today, until he heard a raspy whisper against his dampened shirtfront.

“H-he said he was pleased to see that I’ve g-grown up some, and that I’m n-not such a p-pussy no more.” Butters cleared his throat a little, and the sound reminded Kenny that this distress on top of not eating or sleeping right was probably fucking up Butters’ immune system. _Vitamin C. Gotta ask the ladies to really push the vitamins._

“B-but he said that just cause I’m b-bigger and stronger now, that doesn’t mean I can t-throw my weight a-around and h-hurt or s-scare people.”

Kenny’s mouth fell swiftly, _audibly_ open. “He SAID that? Has he ever MET you?”

Butters’ mouth twisted and he shrugged. “He did say that, yeah, Ken. I-I mean, I know I’m not p-perfect. I can be a-a little asshole _sometimes_ but-”

“But not like THAT,” said Kenny irritably. “Not _violent_. Where the fuck is he getting this shit from?”

Butters shrugged again. “I don’t know, buddy. I’ve never even been to his office before.”

Kenny frowned. “That’s weird. Just…fucking weird.”  Butters nodded.

“It is a-a little, yeah.” His eyes were drooping shut even as he spoke though, a combination of no food and emotional stress clearly dragging him down. Kenny wondered again if he’d been getting any rest.

“Hey, Buttercup?”

“Mhmm?”

“Have you been sleeping?”

Frown lines appeared between Butters’ eyebrows. “Not...not real well, no. I h-had” he yawned, nuzzled into Kenny’s shirt again “nightmares.” He grabbed at handfuls of Kenny’s shirt to anchor himself closer.

Kenny sighed, adding extra strength to the hand keeping Butters against his chest and petting the other through his boyfriend’s hair, paying the usual extra attention to Butters’ temples. “I’m not surprised at all.” He paused and tugged his cell phone out of his pocket for a second, glancing at the screen.

“Tell you what- we have maybe 20 minutes before we have to be anywhere- why don’t you nap for 15, and then I’ll tell you more about the plan me and the other girls have come up with so I can visit? Does that sound good?”

Butters opened one eye and looked up. “T-the nap part does. But I don’t know about this other plan, Ken.” He bit his bottom lip a little, blinking up sleepily.

Kenny sighed. “What bothers you, babe? The lying to your parents? Or-?”

“Aw Ken, I’ve had to lie to those a-assholes my whole life. I-i just don’t know if they’ll FALL for this one. I-I mean, you’re **_real_** good at changing your looks with make-up, but your girl-name is just 'Princess', and I bet my parents would f-find that real suspicious-”

Kenny, relieved, burst out laughing.  Butters’ eyes, (still focused on Kenny's face) crossed a little as his head bopped against Kenny’s chest while it shook with mirth. “Is THAT why you think it wouldn’t work? The name thing?” Butters nodded unhappily, his cheek rubbing against Kenny’s shirt.

Kenny sighed with relief. “So we’ll just call me a different name. I don’t know. Ke _lsey_. Just. I can _deal_ with being called the wrong name for _this_ , okay babe?” he smiled encouragingly. “It’s like a spy mission! Okay? And even if it’s not right, if it’s something _close_ to ‘Kenny’, it will help if one of us slips up, ok?”

Butters’ drowsy face looked like it was trying to understand this idea, but not quite making it.

“Why don’t you sleep on it, alright? And when you wake up, I’ll tell you what the other girls and I’ve cooked up.”

Butters shivered a little, but nodded, clearly beyond exhaustion. He pressed his face to Kenny’s shoulder, and under his boyfriend’s gentle hands, he finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.

And while he slept, Kenny’s mind raced over the past few hours.

He didn’t like what he found.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell Butters yet, but he thought he’d found their rat. Mole. _Rodent_ , whatever. Only one person had reacted _badly_ to Butters’ new height. Only. One. And Kenny didn’t think it was a coincidence that the day _that_ person got back to school, Butters ended up in the counselor’s office.

Kenny was calling bullshit.

And maybe, later tonight, Kenny would call on an _old friend_. There in the janitor’s closet, holding his weary, traumatized boyfriend, Kenny shook with rage. _Eric, you **fucking** **asshole**. What did you DO?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Life has been kicking my butt a lot lately so getting writing done wasn't easy, but I never gave up on this story- so thank you for all your patience!  
> Thank you also to everyone who encouraged me and let me know they were still reading and interested! Thanks especially this time to Sirius616, justsomeonepassingby, and icandigfreckles!  
> It's a lot more fun to share a story WITH people, and hearing from you guys is what makes me crack my knuckles and settle in to write-so thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter- the next one won't be this long a wait. ^^;  
> Tune in next time to find out more about Kenny, Wendy and Bebe's plan to save Butters, and to see what all our faves (and least faves~!) are up to now. And until then, please feel free to drop a comment in to say hi or ask me things about the story!

**Author's Note:**

> For the curious: the series title is a double reference to those growth charts people keep in a doorway as they age, and to the idea of 'the writing being on the wall'.
> 
> This story is going to be multi-chaptered, and I have a few parts written already.
> 
> If people like this one, there's a good chance I'll follow it up with a multi-chaptered part three as well, so if you're interested in how this one's doing, please let me know in the comments! :)
> 
> There will also be more characters and pairings added as we go, just as a heads up.


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